Austin Specialty Beerfest

This last Saturday Remus and I attended The Austin Specialty Beerfest at Fiesta Gardens. 

As you can see the weather was fantastic and there was even a cider supplier there so I didn't have to sit out on all the fun!

There were over 40 breweries at the festival and each one brought two of their most delicious brews so there was definitely no shortness of variety.

And of course you can't hang out in the sun and drink all day without a little food (i.e. tacos). Those lovely tacos you see were courtesy of Peached Tortilla. And yes, they were delicious. 

And the greatest part of the whole thing?

I mean, besides the gorgeous riverside park, sun, and booze?

The whole thing was a benefit for The Boys and Girls Club!!

Whoever said drinking was bad for the children is a big fat liar. 

This S*** Is Bananas

OMG guys.

Guess what's in this bowl.

Just guess.

I know it looks like ice cream but it's NOT.

It's just bananas.

(and a little chocolate)

But mostly bananas!!

I heard about this via some lovely ladies on Tone It Up and it's actually pretty good.

All you do is freeze bananas and then blend them and they make a soft serve like ice cream.

LOOK!

Doesn't it look like ice cream???

Crazy!!

I've been working on my fitness for the summerness that's coming and this was a great way to treat myself while not straying from le "bikini plan".

Next time I think I'll add berries.

Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think!

Schools out for SUMMER

School is over!

(for summer)

Now that everyone is most likely done I would like to explain the best way to celebrate this wonderful wonderful time.

Start with booze.

I suggest champagne. 

It's sparkly and makes anything feel fancier. 

Win.

Now find something thick and funky colored to put on your face.

 The goal is to look as weird as possible.

Now, put on some awesome music and draw a nice hot bubble bath.

 Don't forget to refill your drink before you hop in. 

Your drink should never be empty. This is important.

Then, after the bath you make something delicious and chocolaty that requires mixing and possibly baking.

And then you eat and drink and be merry. 

And that my friends is how you celebrate the end of the semester. 

Good day.

Wonderful Weekend

What a beautiful weekend!

We've been having some SPECTACULAR weather here and we certainly enjoyed it.

We celebrated Earth Day by taking my mom out to brunch.  We went to one of my favorite eateries Vera Fare (the only exclusive gluten free restaurant in Bozeman).  The food was delicious but we did feel a little guilty that we weren't outside helping people clean up litter and such....

....oops....

The rest of the weekend was spent getting my exercise on and studying for the LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL!!

How was your weekend??

Date Night

Today is Saturday and I have a TON of homework to do.

tests...photography midterm....papers...more tests.....

Knowing that I have all this to do, here is how my day has gone:

Coffee with the mister,

Costco,

Pinterest,

Facebook,

Pinterest,

And NOW I'm going to write a blog post about my date last night!

As you can see I am both very productive and responsible.

Future Meg is gonna be maaaaaad.

Anyhoo, the mister and I went on a 'Hot date" last night. (That's what he calls it)

The occasion:

He sold lots of crap on ebay.

The place:

Over the Tapas

(Have you ever had tapas? It's wonderful!!)

What we ate:

Chicken skewers, roasted plantains, chorizo stuffed mushrooms, and paella.

Oh yeah, and beer and wine.

It was wonderful!

The mister and I are quite the homebodies so it's nice to dress up and get out every now and then.

Plus the food at Over the Tapas is spectacular! We especially enjoyed the stuffed mushrooms and the paella.

(And of course the wine)

Now if you'll excuse me I need to get back to not studying.

It's an extremely important task that takes all my concentration.

Snap, Crackle, POP!

You guys,

I made rice crispy treats.

Why?

Because they are delicious. Also because overindulging is the best way to celebrate this holiday.

The great thing about rice crispy treats is that they are SO easy to make.

Also they only have 3tbs of butter rather than the 2 cups(or so) that go into cookies.

So they're practically HEALTHY!!

I mean, come on. Puffed rice?

That sounds like health food to me.

Sure you add a buttload of these sugary guys.

But they're so light and fluffy they CAN'T be that bad right?

RIGHT??

Now here's where I strayed from the recipe a teensy bit.

I added chocolate.

Because chocolate is freaking great.

And it totally has antioxidants and crap.

So we're still keeping to that health food idea.

Oh yeah,

Here's my way cute apron.

And there you go.

A completely healthy (wink wink) treat for your holiday!

Happy Holidays!

Don't forget the TREATS!!

Adventures in Gluten Free-Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Alright. If any of you out there are doing this gluten free thing then you know the pain I feel when I crave pizza. It is most definitely one of the things I miss the most.

Luckily there are a few options out there. And lucky for YOU I'm gonna try them out!!

The first attempt was with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust.

So first make sure you have all your ingredients..this is something my Mom taught me to do before I make anything. That way you never get halfway through and realize you don't have something important!!

ingredients pictured- Bob's mix, olive oil, parmesan cheese, olives, mushrooms. Locally grown tomatoes, garlic, egg and purple bell pepper from Montana CSA

All you need for the crust-

Mix

Eggs

Olive Oil

Water

F.Y.I- This does not resemble regular pizza dough. It turns out almost paste like so you have to sort of mold the dough to the pan.

Sauce-

Omigod you guys! The boyfriend makes the absolute BEST pizza sauce.

Here's the recipe-

ingredients:

6 oz tomato paste

6 oz warm water

3 Tbsp Shredded Parmesan

1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

2 Tbsp Honey

1 tsp Anchovy Paste

3/4 tsp Onion Powder

1/4 tsp EACH- Oregano, Marjoram, basil, black pepper

1/8 tsp EACH- Cayenne, Red Pepper Flake

Salt to taste

Then you know, add em all together.

Now here's another little twist.

You have to bake the crust ALONE first and then you take it out and add your toppings and then bake it AGAIN.

mmmmmm.....cheese.

Here is the finished product.

This actually turned out really good. The crust was a little bland so I would recommend adding some spices to the dough before baking.

This is definitely a good alternative when you get that craving that needs to be satisfied.